Aeg light regulator



(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

P. 0. KBILHOLTZ.

ARG LIGHT REGULATOR. No. 348,977. Patented Sept'. 14 1886.

S151" @Hozfncmo/ @e ff ,4? ,mmf

N. PETERS. Phem-Livnugnphw. wnshmgmn. 0.a

(No Modem 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. 0. KEILHOLTZ.

ARC LIGHT REGULATOR.

No. 348,977. Patented Sept. 14, 1886.

EHB fz A772 N. PETERS, Pham-umognpher, washngmn. D. c

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. P. 0. KEILHOLTZ.

ARG LIGHT REGULATOR.

No. 348,977. Patented Sept. 14, 1886. P-V HP www4 N. Pneus. Pnnbmwnpm. wnhanmn, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PIERRE OTIS KEILHOLTZ, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSlG-NOR TO J. FRANK MORRISON, OF SAME PLACE.

ARC-LIGHT REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,977, dated September 14, 1886.

Application filed November 23, 1885. Serial No. lji. (No model.)

To all 107mm it 77mg concern:

Be itknown that l, PIERRE O'ris KEILnoL'rZ, a citizen of the United States, residing in Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Arc- Light Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of electric lamps, in which the light is produced at the are formed between two carbon points, one of which is movable with reference to the other.

The object of the invention is to provide a regulator for the movable electrode, in which the separation ofthe carbons necessary to form an are is positive and certain, while the approach is very gradual and regulated, in coniradistinetion to the intermittent movement which is incident to the majority of arc-ligl1t regulators heretofore employed..

rlhe fundamental idea of the invention is the employment, as a clutch, of aspiral or coil spring which encircles the holding-rod and which is normally-that is to say, when the lamp is in positioncoiled sufficiently tightly to firmly hohl the rod. An undue increase in the resistance of the arc, however, causes the spring-clutch to relax its hold, thereby allowing the rod to feed forward the required distance and then be automatically arrested.

The operation of the clutch may be controlled by differential magnets, but preferably by a singlcwvon nd magnet, as hereinafter described.

.ln carrying out the invention itis necessary to so support the clutch that when the rods are brought into contact a separation will occur to l'orm the are. This is accomplished by supporting the clutch upon a lever which is capable ol' a movement in the proper direction to feed the carbon under the influence of changes in the strength of a solenoid-magnet included in a shunt around the are. The current through the solenoid causes the core of the magnet to be drawn into the coil against the tension of a supporti11g-spring, thus causing an approach of the carbon and a consequent diminution of the current traversing the coils. The core is thereupon withdrawn from the coil slightly by reason of the supporting-swing, thus separating the enrbons to form the arc. 'lhe second essential is that means be provided Yfor moving one end of the coil-spring with reference to the other for the purpose ot' lessening or increasing its diameter, accordingly as it is required to clasp or release the rod. An increase ot' current in the shunt causes the movable core which controls the separation to move the lever, as already stated,and the same movement of this lever occasions a change in the tension of suitable adjustable equilibriu11i-springs applied to oneend ofthe coil-spring,and serving to hold the latter in the required position for grasping the rod. rI"he movement of the lever in one direction or the other destroys the normal equilibrium` so that the rod may be released or clasped more firmly,aeeordingly as the lever is moved in one direction or the other.

Oeil-springs have heretofore been employed for clutching the carrier-rods of areIamps, and I do not make any broad claim thereto, but only in their application, as hereinafter specilieally pointed ont.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of such portions of a lamp as are necessary to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is a side view ot' the same. Figs. 3 and l illustrate certain details in the construction. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a modification, and Fig. (3 illustrates a method of suspending the upper-carbon rod.

Referring to the figures, A represents a suitablesupporting-frame,and a and fr represent theupperand lowercarbons, respectively. The upper carbon, a, is held in a rod, Z,\vhich extends through a clutch, Rand through suitable guides in the frame. The movement of the rod is determined by a solenoid, O, and its movable core c, together with the clutch device B. The coil of the solenoid is of fine wire and included in a shunt around the arc, its respective terminals being connected with the conductors leading to and from the carbons. The movable core c is supported by means of a spring, c', secured to an adjustingscrew, 0".

Through a suitable opening, c", in the upper end ot' the core there extends one end d of a lever, l). The other end, di, of this lever extends looscly through an opening, e, in a sup port, It is evident that the end d of this lever will rise and fall with the core c. rlhe movements thus occasioned are designed to cause a separation of the carbons for forming the are and also to determine the feed of the IOO upper carbons, a. An annular opening,d, is formed in the lever D,and through thistherod B extends. In this annular opening a ring, f, is pivoted by means of two screws, f and f2. The ring ts loosely upon the rod and allows its free passage through it. By reason of the pivots or screws f and f2, which support the ring, it is capable" of preserving a horizontal position, notwithstanding the upward and downward movements of the end d of the lever D. It should here be noticed also that the ends of the rod D extend loosely through their respective supports, so that it is capable ot' a slight longitudinal movement relatively thereto, thereby maintaining the opening d in the same vertical line, notwithstanding the tendency to turn upon the end d2 as a center.

The solenoid-magnetispret'erably constructed upon the principle illustrated,consisting of a diamagnetic spool supported at its respective extremities in plates cand cof magnetic material. These plates are united with each other outside the coil C by rods c c of soft iron. The parts are preferably so adjusted that the mass of iron in the rods cis approximately equal to that in the core c. This form of magnet is not, however, essential, and other suitable forms may be adopted in place thereof. A spring, F, has one end securely attached to the ring f. The other end of this spring is rigidly,r attached to a similar ring or collar, f, which also encircles the rod b. It is evident that if this ,upper ring be turned toward the right hand or the left while the lower ring remains stationary, the coil-spring will be caused to grasp orlto release the rod b, which passes through it. For the purpose of determining such movement the position of the ring fis determined bytwo pairs of equilibrium-springs, G' g and G2 g2. This is accomplished in this instance in the following manner: A collar, h, encircles the ring f 3, and is attached thereto by a set-screw, i. Two arms, h and r, extend from'this collar in opposite directions, and the positions of the same may be adjusted by loosening the set-screw and turning thecollar upon thering. Thesprings G and G2 are respectively attached at one end to the support A, by means of suitable adjusting-screws,a3 and at, and the other remaining ends are respectively connected with arms k' and k2, extending from corresponding hubs K and K2. These hubs are loosely mounted upon the rod D at opposite sides of the annular portion f. The spring tends to draw the'arms downward and thereby turn corresponding arms or spokes, 7a3 and 7a4, downward. These spokes respectively bear against the arms h and h2, and thus tend in this instance to turn the ring f in the direction opposite the hands of a watch, and to thereby coil the spring F more tightly upon the rod B. This tendencyis counteracted by the corresponding springs g and g2, respectvely, attached at one end to corresponding rods or arms, h and h2, and at their remaining ends to arms n and n2, which are respectivelyattachcd to supports N and N2, carried upon the respective arms of the lever D. The supports N and N2 may well serve to hold the hubs K and K2 in place.- Their positions, and thus the positions of the corresponding arms, a and n2, are rendered adjustable by suitable setscrews, o and o2. This permits of the adjustment of the tension of the springs g and g2. The springsv g and g2 may be dispensed with in some instances, provided the clutch-spring F has sufficient resistance to disengage itsell from the carrier-rod after the tension ot' the springs G and G2 has been removed. Normally the various parts are so adjusted that when a current of the required strength for maintaining the arc is traversing the carbons the core c, and thus the lever D, will be in such position that the separation of the carbons will be maintained and the rod b held at rest. When, however, the are increases and the resistance vthu's becomes greater, a greater amount of current will traverse the shunt-circuit including the coil or solenoid C, and thus tend to draw the core c downward. A slight advancement of the electrode a' will thus be occasioned by the movement of the core, and at the same time the tension of the springs G and Gr2 will be relaxed, so that the opposing tension of the springs f/ and g2 will become increased relatively. This will immediate] y cause the ring c to be turned slightly in the direction of the hands of a watch, thus relaxing its grasp upon the rod b,which thereupon is allowed to slide forward by reason of its weight. Thereupon the current traversing the are will increase and that traversing the solenoid decrease, and the lever D will risc, thereby causing the coilspring to again grasp the rod and hold it firmly.

For the purpose `of preventing the rod from acquiring an undue momentum, it may be counterbalanced by a weight, P, which is preferablyannular, and surrounds the rod and is supported upon cords p and p2, passing over corresponding pulleys, p and p", and secured to the upper end of the rodbby passing through a pulley, p5. The weight P is not always necessary, and it may be desirable to make the rod b hollow, to lessen its weight, especially it' the weight P is not employed.

It is evident that variousmodifications may be made in the method of applying the tension to the clutch-spring and modifying its tension upon the rod without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is designed that the rod, when the carbons have burned out, shall make contact with thelower electrode or the holder, and thus provide a short circuit; but to insure that in case the clutch should for any reason fail to operate, still a short circuit should be formed, I provide au additional coil of coarse wire around the movable core c, as shown at C in Fig. 5. One end of the coil C' is conducted by a conductor, l, with an insulated plate or contact-point, o", secured to the support of the coil. An adjustable screw o r contact-point, r2, is carried by the arm d of the lever D, and this is designed to make contact with the plate r when the lever D is drawn downward a sufficient distance. The remaining end of the coil C is connected by a conductor, 2, with the lower-carbon rod. l/Vhen, therefore, the rod a fails for any reason to feed forward, the lever D will be drawn down by the current traversing the coil C until the point vit touches the plate 1". A circuit will then be established from the rod b around the arc of the lamp through the coil C. This is composed of wire of sufficient size to conduct the current without in iury. A cut-cutis thus formed and injury to the coil C is prevented. Vhen an arc again Yformed through the earbon-points, the normal operation of the lamp will be re-cstablished.

l. claim as my inventionl. rlhc combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with the carrier-rod of an electric-arc lamp, of a coil-spring surrounding the same, a vertically-inovablc lever, carrying one end ot' said spring, and a rotary support for moving the other end of said spring circmni'erentially, and thereby causing it to grasp and to release said rod, as required.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with the carrier-rod of an electric-arc light, of a frictional clutch :for the same, consisting of a coil-spring surrounding the rod, a vertically-movable lever carrying one end of said spring, and means for moving the other end of said spring circumfercntially with reference to the iirst-named end, wllereby the diameter of the spring is varied.

3. The combination, substantially as hercinbefore set forth, with the carrier-rod of an electricarc lamp, of a clutch consisting of a coil-spring surrounding the rod, means for moving one end of said coil-spring circumfercntially with reference to the other and thereby increasing or decreasing the diameter of the same, and means for moving the same in ihc direction of its length, substantially as dcscribed.

4. The conibination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, ofa carrier-rod, a coil-spri ng surrounding the same, means for holding one end of the wire of said coilspiing in a given radial position, equilibiium-springs applied to thc other end of the wire of said coilspring, and means, substantially such as dcscribed, for disturbing the equilibrium bctween the last-named springs and turning the otlierend ofsaid coil-spring circu mferentially.

The combination, substantially as hercinbefore sct forth, in an electric-arc lamp, of a carbon-holding rod, a frictional clutch consisting of a coil-slning surrounding the same, a lever supporting' said coil-spring, a solenoid included in a shunt-circuit around the arc of the lamp, a core extending within said solenoid and connected with said lever, an adjustable spring tending to withdraw said core from said solenoid, and means for winding and unwinding said coil-spring by the longitudinal movement of said core, and thereby modifying its grasp.

G. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, in an electric lamp, of a carrier-rod, a coil-spring surrounding the same, means for retaining one end of said spring in a given position relative to said rod, a collar surrounding said rod, to which the other end of said spring is attached, two arms extending from said collar, two arms connected with the support for the first-named end ol' said spring,

springs connecting the last-named arms with the first-named, respectively, and springs acting counter to the last-named springs, substantiall y as described.

7. The combination, substantially as hereinbcfore set forth, in an electric-arc lamp, of a carrier-rod, an electro-magnet havinga movable core, a lever having one end connected with said core, a coil-spring surrounding said rod and supported from said lever, a sleeve, also surrounding said rod, to which the remaining end of said spring is attached, one or more springs tending to turn said sleeve axially, one or lnore counteracting-springs, and means for modifying` ihe relative values of said sprinff.

8. The combination, substantially as hereinbcfore set forth, in an arc-lamp, of a spring surrounding the upper-carbon rod, a movable lever, a gimbaled collarsupported in said lever and surrounding said rod, a spring attached to said collar, a second collarsurrounding said rod, to which the remaining end of said spring is attached, and mechanical devices, substantially such as described, for turning the lastnamed collar upon said rod.

9. The combination, substantially as hereinbeforeset forth, ofa carrier-rod, a lever having an annular opening, through which said rod extends, a collar surrounding said rod, trunnions supporting said collar within said opening, a support for one end of said lever, through which it extends loosely, a solenoidmagnet, through the core of which the other end of said lever extcndsloosely, acoil-spring att-ached to said collar, and means for moving said lever, substantially as described.

10. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the rod B, the lever l), havingthe annular opening through which the rod extends, the spring F, connected with said lever, the collar f", the ring l1., coupled with said collar, the arms 71./ and Il?, extending from said collar, the arms k and r, turning upon said lever as a center, the springs G and G2, tending to turn the last-named arms in opposite directions and to press them against the arms 7L and h2, respectively, the springs g and g, and the arms m and nt.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of November, A.. D. lS'T).

PIERRE O'IIS KELHOLTZ.

TVitnesses:

Cuantas R. G iLLaGl-lnn, CHa'RLEs T. CHILD. 

